Talking to Yuzu
by Your Humble Little Narrator
Summary: Being mute, Yuzu has a hard time getting out what she wants to say-especially to a certain loud-mouthed swordsman. But she always seems to find a way.


It wasn't like she was hard to notice. Yuzu was mute, not invisible. Even if she stood where she could be partially hidden by the doorframe, Squalo could feel those wide, blue puppy-dog eyes on him. But that didn't mean Squalo had to acknowledge her.

He stood there, still-sleepy eyes staring at the mirror as he brushed his teeth. There was no yelling, no risking toothpaste foam spattering all over the place as he chased the poor girl away—this was just something he'd gotten used to. Ever since Yuzu had discovered the Varia were staying in the same hotel, finding her in their suite at random times in the day had become a very common occurrence.

First time they found her she was tossed out into the hallway. Second time they were slightly stunned to see her back, but Bel had scared her off with his throwing knives. Third time Squalo and the others seemed to find it more convenient to ignore her. She never did anything harmful and—thank god—never did anything to disturb their boss.

Usually she just went about her business and when she found she wasn't getting the attention she craved, she usually left.

But popping in so early in the morning was a new one for Yuzu.

Still feeling those eyes on him, Squalo briefly shifted his gaze to her briefly before going back to the mirror. Then he did it again. She was still there.

For such a quiet little thing, she knew how to command attention.

He turned his head slightly, toothbrush still in his mouth as he gave a garbled, "What…?"

Yuzu's eyes seemed to light up at that. Though she bit down on her bottom lip to hide her smile, it was clear she was bouncing slightly in place. Her small hand rose up, fingers wiggling to give a shy greeting. She could never really hide the fact that Squalo was her favorite person to bother. That much was obvious.

"Yeah, hi to you, too," Squalo said with a bored tone before he turned back to the sink, gargled and spat. His understanding of this girl was limited. Sure, he could speak several languages, but American Sign Language was not one of them. Beside, sign language may be a bit difficult for one with a prosthetic.

_Knock, knock, knock…_

Squalo blinked. He grabbed a towel, roughly wiping his mouth as he found himself turning back to Yuzu. She stood in the doorway, looking up at him. Her knuckles tapped on the wood of the frame and the corners of her lips curled upwards.

Squalo gave her a brows-drawn look. "What?"

_Knock, knock, knock…._ Her knuckles tapped on the doorframe.

Squalo gave an annoyed sigh. "Voi," he said, the volume of his voice just slightly elevated, "I don't have time to play games with you." He threw the towel over his shoulder and tried to shimmy past her.  
But Yuzu wasn't having that; she stood in the door with her arms out, attempting to turn herself into a sort of blockade. _Attempt_ would be the key word; Squalo was a good head taller than her and didn't really need his sword to knock her flat on her rear and continue on his way.

But knocking down a girl half his size wasn't really all that fun. Instead he gritted out a frustrated: "What!"

Yuzu sucked in a deep breath and lifted her chin, chest puffed out and lips pursed. Cute. She was trying to put on a tough act. Hard to do when you don't have the words to back it up.

Squalo leaned forward. "What—do—you—want?"

_Knock, knock, knock_…. She looked up at him with those bright blue eyes. With those cowlicks on both sides of her head and that almost pleading expression, she looked even more like a puppy. The sort of puppy that was left in the rain and was crying for a cuddle.

Squalo wasn't one to hug puppies.

Annoyance level was increasing with each passing second. "I don't understand you!" he said, grasping at his forehead.

Yuzu looked up at him. Her expression read: _Please listen…_

_Knock, knock, knock…._

Squalo exhaled—then something caught his ear. His brows drew together as he finally listened to the series of taps Yuzu's knuckles played on the wood. It wasn't a specific rhythm. More like… a code.

He looked at her. She looked up at him with a hopeful expression. _Knock, knock, knock…_

Maybe he just couldn't help himself. He felt the corner of his own mouth lift as he leaned back against the bathroom counter and began knocking out a response.

Morse code.

So the girl knew a way to talk to him after all.

* * *

**A little present to one of my best online buddies. I love her SqualoxOC pairing and I couldn't resist writing cute fluffiness for them - well... and cute and fluffy as Squalo can get.**


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